The 7 Biggest Decor Mistakes That Drive Interior Designers Crazy

Pros reveal what they always want to change when walking into a room.

Robert Dant

Mistake #1: Getting Carried Away with Decorative Painting

Decorative painting can be a beautiful addition to a space, but knowing when to stop is key. "Brilliant painting is elegant and polished, but go too far and you end up with vulgarity," says designer Mary Douglas Drysdale.

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Caiaimage/Tom Merton

Mistake #2: Not Paying Attention to Lighting

"There's nothing worse than bright overhead lights that make you feel like you're onstage," says designer Barclay Butera. He recommends using dimmers and soft white bulbs in every room, including bathrooms. "Lighting shouldn't wash down on you: It's harsh and unflattering," he says.

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Lisa Hubbard

Mistake #3: Grouping Candles Together

Designer Albert Hadley believes "a more balanced aesthetic" is achieved when candlesticks are spread out around a room. "Candlelight, like open fires, has a certain allure — one of warmth and romance. To me, it's most alluring when the light is spread around the room," he says. "In other words, separate the candlesticks!"

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Arnt Haug

Mistake #4: Pushing Furniture Against the Walls

"I am often dumbstruck by the way people arrange their living room furniture. So much wide-open space, pieces plastered against walls, chairs too far apart," says designer Whitney Stewart. She believes the answer is simplicity. "The guiding principle should be to create intimacy. How can you have a good conversation when you have to shout across the room? I imagine the sofa talking to the chairs, the chairs talking to one another," she says.

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Bravo

Mistake #5: Ignoring Proportion

"Lamps that are completely disproportionate sizes on either ends of a sofa — that makes me crazy," says designer David Kleinberg. "Don't try to get too creative. Keep it simple."

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hikesterson/istock

Mistake #6: Karate-Chopping Your Pillows

Don't make your living room pillow arrangement too formal with fussed-over pillows. Designer Steven Sclaroff can't live with karate-chopped pillows. "That look would never occur in pillow nature," he says.

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Mistake #7: Relying on a Single Light Source

The key to good lighting is layering it at different heights. "Don't rely on only one kind of light source. Mix a variety of overhead and floor or table lamps," says designer Alan Tanksley.